70 Per Cent Don't Trust Facebook With Personal Information

Just last week we reported that 13 million people didn't check Facebook's privacy settings, and now it's transpired that a whopping 70 per cent don't trust Facebook with their personal data. Yet despite 60 per cent actively changing their privacy settings in 2011, this new research somewhat contradicts last year's revelation of 70 per cent of Facebook's users content with what they shared.

A survey by online privacy agency Abine questioned Facebook users on their sharing and posting activities, as well as adjustments to their privacy and profile settings - with the results showing an increasing conflict of interest between the social networking service and its users.

It's a double-edged sword for Facebook, as the site needs its users to share their data to keep advertisers happy - but Facebook also needs to keep its users to stick with the social network, without losing their trust.

Here's a breakdown of some of the results:

- A 76 per cent growth in the number of Facebook users amending their privacy setting between 2009 and 2011.

- Only 8 per cent of users questioned have never once adjusted their privacy settings.

- A 43 per cent increase in the number of Facebook users who stated they were "very concerned" about their privacy after the IPO, compared to how they felt before the IPO.

"We all use Facebook to connect, share, and stay in touch with friends and family, but that doesn't mean we want all of our private information out there for the entire world to see," said Abine CEO William Kerrigan in a statement. "We're starting to see a real shift in Facebook users' behavior. Today, the only thing growing faster than Facebook's user base is the number of its users setting their privacy settings."